Image: Bell
Prime Minister Trudeau blasted BCE Inc.'s layoffs at Bell Media, including cuts to local newscasts and radio stations, calling it a "garbage decision." He expressed his anger at a press conference, citing a $140 million decline in Bell Media's advertising revenue and $40 million in annual news division losses.
Bell Media announced on Thursday it would end multiple television newscasts and other programming following its parent company's job cuts. It also put on sale 45 of its 103 regional radio stations.
Trudeau criticized corporations buying media outlets, reducing journalistic staff, and then justifying further cuts due to decreased profitability. He emphasized the importance of local news. It is "what binds the country together," he said. Corporate Canada has "abdicated their responsibilities toward the communities that they have always made very good profits off of," Trudeau said.
While Bell Media claims less than 10% of 4,800 eliminated positions are theirs, experts warn of weakened local journalism. Concordia University's Magda Konieczna, an associate journalism professor, predicts stories will lack depth due to "multi-skilled journalists" juggling multiple platforms with fewer resources.